Game or puzzle



H. L. POST.

GAME OR PUZZLE.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29,1920.

. Patented Aug. 15, 1,922.

IIIIIIQIIIIIIIIII' IllI i HaraZci'L-FU5 "Z"- mes ST fiP T NT Quilts-'1 I HAnoLnLoRnNzo Post, or ArPLn'ron, wrsconsm.

GAME on: PUZZLE.

Application filed June 29,

To all whom it may concern? i Be it known that I, HAROLD L. Posr, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Appleton, in the county of Outagamie and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful" Improvements in Games or Puzzles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof. I Y

My invention relates to new and useful improvementsin games or puzzles and has particular reference to an article of this na ture which can be readily enclosed within a suitable container and form a part thereof.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed device ofthis character which can be inexpensively manufactured and sold at a relatively slight cost,

and which will be intensely interesting to all who manipulate it.

Another object of this invention is-to provide a device of this character which consists' essentially of a tortuous pathway having obstacles throughout its length to hinder the passage of an article therealong.

With these general objects in view the invention consists of novel features of construction, the combination and arrangement of parts which will be. hereinafter more particularly described and claimed, and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 represents the plan view of a game or puzzle constructed in accordance with the principle of my invention, and

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the plane of the line 22 of Figure 1.

In this drawing I have illustrated only one form of my invention, but it is obvious that various embodiments may be constructed within the terms and scope of the appended claim. In other words, the principal features of the invention consists of a tortuous pathway along which a ball or other object is adapted to be rolled or moved, the pathway having means which tend to hinder the free movement of said ball or the like.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, it will be seen that the reference character 1 denotes a tray' of suitable depth, which may or may not be provided with a cover, having a bottom 2 and a false bottom 3 spaced therefrom. The false bottom 3 is made of such material as will permit its edge portions to be bent laterallyv in the form of supporting flanges 4:, these flanges Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug;

1920. Serial No. 392,669.

being. engaged witht'heside walls of the tray and the bottom thereof as shownin Figure. 2. lOnecorner of the 'false bottom 3' I is provided with an .outletopening othrough which a game piece or ball 6 can be removed .frombetween the bottom Q-andfalse bottom the upper surface of the false bottom 3 by means of a plurality of wall strips 8. These strips are preferably of sheet metal and of a height approximately the same as the diameter of the ball 6 so as to retain the same.

in the pathway 7. Each'of the strips 8 has a number of tongues 9 extending through the false bottom 3 and bent laterally to form attaching means. The end of the pathway 7 adjacent that end of the tray in which the outlet hole 5 is located is providedwith an inlet 10, whereas the opposite end of said pathway has a pocket 11. That portion of the false bottom 3 located between the wall strips '8 and forming the tortuous pathway 7 has a number of circular inletholeslQ of such a diameter as to readily permit the ball 6 to drop therefrom into the space beneath the false bottom. These holes 12 are located in various positions with respect to the curves of the pathway 7, the object being to render the passage of the ball 6 from the inlet 10 to the pocket 11, or vice versa,relatively diflicult. Consequently the shape of the pathway 7 and the number and location of the holes 12 is immaterial.

The upper surface of the false bottom 3, and especially that portion outside of the pathway 7, is preferably printed, painted or otherwise provided with suitable designs. In the present instance the said false bottom is printed to simulate a range of mountain peaks, and the object of the game or puzzle may be said to bethe movement of the ball 6 from the bottom of the mountains tothe top thereof and back again. In the use of the device, the ball 6 is placed at the inlet end of the tortuous pathway and the tray 1 gently rocked in an endeavor to cause the said ball to travel throughout the length of the pathway or into the pocket llwithout being dropped in one of the inlet'holes 12.

If the entire length of the pathway from the inlet 10 to the pocket 11 is successfully ne-' gotiated, the ball 6 may be returned in the if the ball 6 drops into one of the inlet holes 12, it can be readily removed by tilting the tray to such an angle that it may be rolled out of the outlet opening 5. Another start may fiat-arbitrarily curvedstrips disposed with their side edges resting on said false bottom and having tongues formed thereon and projecting through the false bottom and clinched thereto, said strips cooperating to form a tortuous pathway, the end of one strip being extended into the concavity of another strip substantially centrally thereof to form the inner Wall of a return bend in said pathway, and a series of holes in the false bottom Within the Walls of said pathway to make it difficult to move a ball there along Withoutits dropping through one of the holes.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my handat Appleton, in the county of Outagamie and State of Wisconsin. I

HAROLD LORENZO Pos'r. 

